What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes, which used to be called insulin - dependent diabetes, usually develops in children and young adults but it can happen at any age. In Type 1 diabetes the cells in the pancreas which make insulin stop working. Insulin is a hormone or chemical messenger which is produced by these special cells in the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes these cells, called beta-cells are gradually destroyed. No one knows for sure why this happens, but it is likely that the body reacts abnormally against the pancreas. This is referred to by doctors as an autoimmune process. The immune system fails to recognise the beta-cells as part of your body and attacks them. As the number of beta-cells become less and less the pancreas produces less and less insulin and diabetes then develops.
Insulin is the hormone which helps move glucose into the cells of the body. Without insulin we cannot use glucose to make energy effectively and blood glucose levels increase. When the blood glucose rises to high levels some glucose (or sugar) spills over into the urine and is lost. Lots of fluid is lost with the glucose and this results in excessive thirst and the passage of large amounts of urine. Weight loss also occurs along with worsening tiredness. These are the typical symptoms of type 1 diabetes and as type 1 diabetes often develops rapidly the symptoms can develop within days or a few weeks.
Why did I get Type 1 Diabetes?
This is difficult to say. It just happens sometimes and there is not much that can be said. Although there is a genetic or hereditary basis for type 1 diabetes, the disease does not often run in families. At least 8 out of 10 people with type 1 diabetes will have no other family members affected. The remaining 2 out of 10 people with type 1 diabetes will have at least one family member with diabetes. On the other hand, if your mother or father has diabetes your risk of developing type 1 diabetes is increased.
How is Type 1 Diabetes treated?
Type 1 diabetes used to be called insulin-dependent diabetes because people are dependent on insulin to stay healthy. So type 1 diabetes is always treated with regular insulin injections combined with a healthy diet. Without insulin treatment, the blood glucose continues to rise and weight loss, vomiting and dehydration occur. Eventually drowsiness and diabetic coma can develop. This does not happen now but used to happen regularly before insulin was discovered in 1922 by Banting and Best. The discovery of insulin is to this date the most important breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes. Insulin was (and still is) a life-saving miracle for those with type 1 diabetes. Insulin cannot be taken as a tablet as it would be rapidly destroyed by the acid in the stomach. Insulin therapy involves regular injections into the layer of fat just beneath the skin. Sounds terrible but it is not as bad as it sounds.
Over a long period of time, high levels of sugar in the blood can cause permanent damage to the eyes, nerves and kidneys. Longstanding diabetes also does damage to blood vessels resulting in heart attacks and strokes. Controlling your sugar levels and regular monitoring of your condition can prevent many of these complications. People with type 1 diabetes can lead happy healthy lives by taking good care of their blood sugars.
The main aim of insulin treatment is to achieve near normal blood glucose levels (between 4 and 7 before meals). This, along with a healthy lifestyle, will help to improve your general health and protect against long-term damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and major arteries.
What does the future hold?
Finding out you have type 1 diabetes can be a very frightening experience. Type 1 diabetes used to be fatal before insulin was discovered in 1922. Now with insulin treatment you can live with diabetes and enjoy a relatively normal life. Type 1 diabetes does shorten a normal life span by about 5 years but there are regular advances in treatment and as time goes on and we learn more about diabetes it may be possible that medical science will find a cure. Exciting prospect - but for the present let’s concentrate on how best to control and manage your diabetes.
The long-term complications of type 1 diabetes are a consequence of persistently high levels of blood sugar. Complications may involve the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels. It is now quite clear that you can greatly reduce your risk of developing long-term diabetes complications by keeping your blood sugars well controlled. This is sometimes not that easy but well worth the effort – so stick at it.